


Spearhead of the Alliance

by CT_Irons



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Occasional Established Characters, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25441465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CT_Irons/pseuds/CT_Irons
Summary: Nash is a young Alderaanian fighting for the Alliance to Restore the Republic. After news of his home world's destruction causes his captain to turn traitor, he takes command and begins to rise through the ranks. He and his allies fight for years to help liberate the galaxy from the Galactic Empire.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if there's some weird grammar here and there, this is my first time writing something like this and I'm purely doing this for fun. I've been working on this story for over a year now and I'm planning on it going right up until before the Battle of Jakku.

Chapter One  
Fracture

Hyperspace. 6 hours before the Battle of Yavin.

The Hammerhead Corvette Jurano’s Heart travels to the Norima Sector on a mission to deliver supplies for a rebel cell on the planet Moric. Aboard the ship is a Marine team led by a young Lieutenant named Linash Girard. Linash is a Commando who, like many aboard Jurano’s Heart, is from Alderaan. He and his squad were assigned to the ship to assist with the transport and delivery of the supplies to the Moric Cell. Nash enters the bridge and sees the Captain standing behind the helmsman. 

“Good morning, Captain. Sleep well?” Captain Simar Frayus turned and smiled. He was always amused that his Alderaanian crew kept their schedule based on the time back on Alderaan, even when in the depths of space. “Yes I did, thank you. We should be arriving in orbit above Moric in two hours. Have you briefed your squad?” “I gave the squad a few minutes to finish preparations before the briefing. I’ll run through it when we’re an hour out, sir.” Frayus turned back to watch the ship travel through hyperspace. “Very good. Thankfully they aren’t giving me many high risk missions lately. I can’t keep away from my family much longer. I just got a message from my wife that my grandchild is due in another week and Senator Organa understands that it’s well past time for me to retire. I never expected it to be so soon but this shall be my last mission.”

Helmsman Torill- a fresh faced Nikto- turned his head back and, with a hint of relief in his voice said “Well Captain, we’ll miss you. When you get home be sure to say hello to the missus for us.” Nash added “I’m sorry to hear you’re leaving, but if anyone in the Alliance has earned a peaceful retirement it’s you, sir. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to ensure we’ll have everything ready to go when we arrive in system.”

Nash left the bridge feeling as good as if he was watching a Star Destroyer crashing into a volcano. He would miss working with Captain Frayus, but the Captain would be happy at home with his family. It was up to Nash and everybody in the Rebel Alliance to make up for his absence. Especially whoever would take his place as Captain of the Jurano’s Heart. Nash walked past some engineers working on a discoloured light on the wall as he made his way to the Cargo Hold. Every Ensign or trooper he walked past had high morale, especially for Alliance personnel. A testament to Captain Frayus as a leader. As he rounded the corner to the Cargo Hold, he saw his squad checking the final row of supplies.

Myri -the Rodian- was holding a datapad reading off the list while Gramor -the Abednedo- and Boaz -the only unaltered human on the squad except for Nash- were doing the heavy lifting as usual. Crevil -the cyborg- was double checking that the ship’s manifest was still the same as the last five times they checked.

“Nearly done, sir!” Myri cheerfully declared. “Sir, I calculated the journey from the Yavin base to Moric and the voyage should only take two days. Why has it taken us four?” Crevil wondered aloud. “Is it to avoid patrols? The trips should only take a day extra to sufficiently circumvent standard Imperial formations.” Gramor, while grunting from the weight of the box he was lifting, “What did we say about using so many big words, Crevil? Yeah, you’re a cyborg and soo much smarter than us normal organics, huh?” Boaz, always ready to back up his best friend, “Yeah come on, Crevil. It’s bad enough I have to listen to you try to tell the LT how to do his job, I don’t wanna get confused in the process.” Nash quickly stopped them. “Lock it down, you two. Get back to inventory. Crevil. Captain Frayus wanted to be completely positive that we wouldn’t have a run-in with the Empire. The Cell on Moric has another week before they run out of supplies and they’ll be fine if we take another couple days to be safe. Besides, we’re arriving in a couple hours, anyway.” Crevil nodded understandingly. Nash turned to face the entire squad. “Once the last crates have been counted I want everyone back in the barracks, understood?” All of them in unison responded “Yes Sir!”

Five minutes later the squad entered back into the barracks. “Everything accounted for, sir.” Nash nodded. “Alright…” He pulled up a hologram of the planet Moric. “...As you know, the Cell on Moric needs a resupply. Mostly food for the troops and surrounding natives as it’s difficult for them to find safe food on the planet. The locals, thankfully, help the Cell with manual labour and in return the Cell helps supply food and keeps the camps safe from larger predators. The Cell is led by Commander Torin Reth, Boaz’s Uncle. In return for the supplies, Commander Reth has information about Imperial patrols that his scouts have found. We can’t risk open communication this far from our nearest bases so we’ve been sent to not only keep the cargo safe but to deliver the message back to Yavin personally.” 

Boaz decided the short pause would be the best time to speak up. “Tor was always my favourite of the Uncles. He’s the one who helped me join the Alliance, actually. He felt bad for the way my luck turned and asked if I wanted to work with him. Unfortunately I got transferred to the Marines because they said I have more brawn than brains. Haven’t seen Uncle Tor for about a year. Last I heard from him was when he went to set up this Cell a few months back.” Myri added “It’ll be a regular family reunion.”

“The cargo and intel isn’t the only reason we’re here.” Nash continued. “Commander Reth has told us there is a small Imperial base that has been set up in a nearby system. Once we have unloaded the cargo he will tell us the coordinates and we will need to investigate further. Once we return to Yavin Base and Command has had a chance to look it over, they’ll decide whether or not they should take it out. It’s possibly a risk to the Moric Cell and needs to be addressed before their cover is blown.” Crevil nodded, clearly smitten by the chance to study an Imperial base in person. His expression grew more sour, evidently he realized he could only study it from orbit. “We’ll need to be prepared for a fight in case any of the animals get curious. They get to be pretty big so keep your eyes open. We should be arriving in about an hour. Ready up.” 

Nash wrapped up the briefing and the squad prepared their combat gear. He wore a green shirt and black vest with camouflaging designs on his pants. His weapon of choice was an E-11 and he wore a black Imperial Security Bureau hat. Nash took both the blaster and hat from a Bureau agent he had killed the day he joined the Alliance. He had a stripped down DL-44 holstered on his leg and a bandolier over his chest. Gramor favoured heavier weaponry like the RT-97c heavy rifle and carried a bandolier with detonators and extra ammunition. He also carried a bag with extra supplies for the whole squad. Myri and Boaz were as close to standard issue as the Alliance could get with A280 rifles and with outfits mixing tan shirts and blue vests, pants and hats. Crevil, however, was the dedicated marksman and technical specialist of the team. He carried a DLT-20a sniper rifle and a DH-17 pistol holstered on his leg. He preferred a darker grey outfit that wouldn’t attract much attention to whatever shadow or rooftop he set up on. Once the team was armed and ready, they set out to the docking bay with the other personnel that would assist in unloading the cargo.

Nash felt the thud in the docking bay that signified that the Jurano’s Heart had landed on the planet’s surface. He and everyone else in the docking bay heard Comms Officer Sornel Gratt’s voice as they said; “Landing complete: ground team is cleared to open doors and begin unloading cargo. Commander Reth and his men are ready to assist and deliver intelligence reports.” Sornel was by the books as always, Nash thought. They had never had a chance to speak to Nash while off-duty, but Nash had overheard some stories about their parties during leave. He hoped he could partake next time. His thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the doors and the sunlight flooding into the docking bay. He and several others had to shield their eyes before they adjusted. 

As his eyes adjusted, he saw the face of Commander Torin Reth meet his eyes. “Lieutenant.” He spoke. “Thank you for arriving.” “Sorry we’re late.” Nash responded. “But we needed to be sure-” “BO!” Rath exclaimed, while approaching Boaz, clearly ready for a hug. “How’s my favourite nephew? Still kicking ass?” “Uncle Tor!” Boaz responded, as the two men embraced. “The LT keeps busting my balls, but he and Gram keep me out of too much trouble, I guess. What’s it like leading your own cell?” “A headache, but a rewarding one. Locals have been instrumental in the establishment and maintenance. We’ve shared information about the Empire and Alliance -at least what isn’t classified- and they’ve pledged to support us as best they can. We’ve even begun training them with blasters.” “Well uncle…” Boaz responded, “I’d love to join your group but the marines are short on manpower. I can also do more good out there. Now, let’s get your supplies offloaded, eh?”

With the help of the Moric Cell personnel and the local recruits, the supplies were offloaded twice as fast as expected. After the offloading and the group heading to the base that looked more like a shantytown than a military complex, Gramor asked one of the recruits about the sky: “I’ve never seen purple clouds or green skies. Why are they coloured so weird?” The recruit simply responded why the skies he had seen were coloured weird. “Guess it’s just perspective, huh?” Captain Frayus arrived at the base with a bottle of Alderaanian Whiskey, and offered to share a drink with Commander Reth and Nash’s squad. “Sornell volunteered to watch the bridge while everyone got fresh air. They’ll let us know if anything seems out of the ordinary. In the meantime…” The Captain motioned to his bottle, “How about you all join me in toasting to my retirement? While we do, Commander, we can also discuss the intel you’ve gathered for us.” 

After a humble but lively gathering, Captain Frayus and Nash’s squad had been shown a map of known Imperial patrol routes in the sector. “Any points marked red are suspected Interdictor traps, like the Vetsare Belt right there. We couldn’t confirm, but the evidence suggests as much. By the time we need another resupply, we’ll have an updated list. We’re not sure how often this will change. The best route back to Yavin will take you right near one of said suspected zones, but luckily you won’t need to go through it. Best of luck.” With that, the time came for the Jurano’s Heart to return to Yavin. “Oh, and Bo?” Boaz turned back to his Uncle; “I’ve left a gift for you and Gram in your bunks. Watch each-others backs, ok?” “Thanks, Uncle Tor. See you soon, eh?” “Thank you sir. “ Gramor responded next. “I’ll be sure to keep him out of much trouble.” “Better, kid. After my brother passed, you’ve been the only one Bo can rely on. You’ve been a good friend and I know you’ll keep him safe. See you around, kids.”

When the crew of the Heart were back aboard and the ship on it’s way back to Yavin, Boaz and Gramor saw the gifts that Uncle Tor left for them. “Brother, your uncle is the best.” “I love that man.” Boaz responded, mouth agape. The two saw before them a Z-6 Rotary cannon with a note that had Gramor’s name on it. Next to it was a DC-17M blaster rifle and a gauntlet with a wrist blade used by the Republic Commandos during the Clone Wars. Nash let out a whistle. “How’d he get ahold of those?” Boaz responded with an excited tone. “Uncle Tor knows I’m a fan of the clones and he must have found an old wreck of a ship during a patrol. Notice how everyone had bits and pieces of clone gear back at the base? He must have saved the best for us.” “Well, as long as you put them to good use then I won't confiscate them. Otherwise-” Nash began but was interrupted by Sornel on the intercom. “Lieutenant Girard, your presence is required immediately on the bridge.”

When Nash arrived on the bridge, Captain Frayus was already speaking with a familiar young woman on the holotable: “Lieutenant Girard, good to see you. Unfortunately my communication carries disastrous news.” It was the Princess herself. Leia. Nash’s sister served as one of her personal attendants and was a trusted friend of the Princess, which is how Nash came to be involved with the rebellion. “Congratulations to the two of you for a successful mission but you may need to take a seat for what I'm about to tell you.” “I’m sorry, Princess? What do you mean?” Frayus asked. “Our home-” Nash could see through the hologram that tears were welling in her eyes as she hesitated. “Alderaan has been… has been destroyed.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
Treason

Hyperspace. 

“Alderaan has been destroyed.” Leia’s voice was grim. Nash and Captain Frayus both stood there, stunned. Finally, Leia added; “The Empire had constructed a battlestation they called The Death Star and used it to blow up our homeworld.” Frayus asked, “Well where are you? How did you escape? Is the rest of the royal family with you? Is my family-” The Princess cut him off. “I was offworld when it happened but I’m not currently aware of any survivors outside of those serving in the Alliance. We here at the Yavin base were able to destroy the station, just barely. But we are evacuating the base as the Empire is on it’s way to retaliate. I’m sending you rendezvous coordinates to meet up with our fleet. Once you’re there then we can-” “No.” Frayus interrupted her this time. “Excuse me, Captain?” “No. I will not take orders from you anymore. You abandoned our people. You could have warned them. Because of you, the royal family, and my own family ARE DEAD.” 

Nash knew he needed to step in and do.. something. “Captain, calm down-” “YOU have no right to speak either, boy. You probably knew as well, didn’t you? This disgrace of a Princess probably kept you and the others in the Alliance informed because she wanted to seize the throne for herself, is that it?” Leia’s reaction was in equal measures shocked and angered. “How dare you, Captain Frayus. To suggest that I would allow my family AND my planet to die, simply for personal power? You are a good man. I know that you are hurt the same as I. Come back to the fleet and we can forget this outburst ever happened. We will send rendezvous coordinates immediately.” She looked to Nash and nodded, then disconnected.

Nash wasn’t sure what to think. What to do. His home, his family, and everyone else on Alderaan were dead. The planet itself was gone. Frayus broke the silence. “That will be all, Lieutenant. Return to your squad.” Captain Frayus waited until Nash had left the bridge and the door closed behind him before he spoke again. “Helm?” He didn’t even bother to speak Helmsman Torill’s name. “Set a course for the Vestare Belt.” Torill looked back to the Captain. “Sir? That’s one of the Interdictor points Commander Reth warned us about.” “I said do it, Helmsman.” “But why? Are you trying to get us killed?” Frayus unholstered his blaster pistol and aimed it at Torill’s head. “Do it. Now.”

Nash did his best to keep a straight face as he returned to his quarters. He waited only until he locked his door before allowing himself to fall apart. As he leaned against the door and slid toward the ground, he thought only of his parents, his sister, her young children she had been so proud of. They were both only a few years into their school years. She had been so happy to hear that she was having twins that the day she broke the news even Princess Leia had been told before the family was. But now, she was gone. His fathers were gone. Everyone he had ever known back home was gone. But he had been left behind. He wasn’t sure when, but he realized he must have fallen asleep. He saw his sister, and her children across a field. One of the fields they had gone to when they were young and wanted to leave the noise of the city for an hour or two. He began to run and call their names. Had it all been a dream? Was he back home? Had he simply had a nightmare while having a nap on the way to the field? He kept running and calling to them, but they only seemed to move further away as a shadow enveloped the world around him. He ran faster. He started screaming, hoping and praying to whatever god ruled this galaxy to let them hear him. To let him get them offworld before they were lost forever. But with a blinding light and their distant screams he knew that he had been too late. 

He awoke to find Crevil kneeling in front of him, shaking him awake. “Sir! Something is wrong. I checked the maps and we’re heading straight into one of the ambush points that Commander Reth warned us about!” Nash was barely able to understand what Crevil was saying and tried to rise to his feet before they were both knocked to the ground again. “Oh no. No no no no no no. We’ve just come out of hyperspace.” Crevil looked like he was going to faint. Just then, they heard the Captain’s voice over the intercom: “Attention all personnel. This is Captain Frayus. The Rebellion is finished. As we speak we are about to be boarded by an Imperial patrol. Lay down your weapons and surrender to them.” 

Nash let out a curse that would offend even the most vulgar of Hutts before turning back to Crevil. “Get the squad and anyone you find on the way ready to fight. I’ll deal with the Captain.”

Just before Nash arrived at the door to the bridge, he came across Comms Officer Gratt and two troopers, who were trying to cut the door. “Sornel! What’s our status?” They turned to Nash, visibly stressed. “Just in time, Girard. We’re about to get the door open but Captain Frayus has Torill held hostage on the bridge.” Blast. If he can’t disarm the Captain quickly then Torill will surely be killed. The trooper cutting the console broke Nash’s train of thought. “Door’s open in three.... two… one… Now!” Nash already had his sidearm readied, as did Sornel and the other trooper. As soon as the door slid open, Nash and the others stunned Captain Frayus several times before he could take aim at Helmsman Torill. Evidently he hadn’t expected anyone to try and recapture the bridge so soon. As the Captain fell to the ground, stunned, Comms Officer Gratt readied the ship’s intercom for Nash to take command. One trooper took out a pair of binders and restrained Frayus. As he did that, Nash checked on Torill. Once he knew Torill was not wounded, he commanded the two troopers to get their asses to the airlock. Sornell nodded to him, and Nash approached the command table.

“Attention personnel of the Jurano’s Heart. This is Lieutenant Linash Girard. We have been betrayed, and Captain Frayus has been relieved of command. At any moment we are to be boarded by an Imperial Interdictor cruiser and will have to fight for our lives. I have no plans of leading you to defeat, as likely as it is. Do not surrender. Do not hesitate, and do not show any mercy. Any Imperials who set foot on board will feel our fire as dozens of guns go live. We will repel these boarders, break their hold on us, and return to the fleet victorious. Are you with me?” Nash knew he shouldn’t have added the last part. It was ridiculous considering that none aboard could respond to him through the intercom. Torill broke the silence. “Hoo-ahh. I’m with you Lieutenant.” “Heh. As am I, though your speech writing could use some work.” A joke from Sornel? At a time like this, this is the first time he had heard them make a joke. Oh well. “You two watch our dear Captain, I’ll lead the defense. Radio if you need me.” 

With that, Nash rushed as fast as he could to the airlock. When he got there, he had seen that his squad had set up makeshift defenses, and even mounted an E-web. “Where the hell did this come from?” He pointed to the gun, but quickly realized that maybe it was better not to ask. “Are we ready?” “Yes sir!” “Then let’s kick some ass.” He keyed his comm. “Engine room; we need you ready to overcharge the engines on my command.” As his grand plan finished materializing in his head, the airlock was being breached. He and everyone else in the hall readied themselves. 

The door blasted open, and Stormtroopers began to pour through the opening. Every gun opened fire on the soldiers that had been a symbol of galactic oppression for nearly two decades. They began to trip over their fallen comrades as more and more fell to the Rebels’ guns. Several of the Rebels’ own soldiers were being cut down but for now, they were holding the line. Nash swore he felt the heat of three blasts fly toward the door for every one that came from it. After what felt like an hour of heavy fighting, it had seemed to die down. No more troopers were making their way through the door for now. Nash heard Gratt’s voice come over the intercom; “Lieutenant Girard to the bridge immediately. Repeat, Lieutenant Girard to- Agh!” What in blazes? There’s no way Imperials got to the bridge. So then what could have- oh no. He commanded the soldiers in the hall to be prepared for a second wave as he sprinted back to the bridge. When he reached the doorway he saw Captain Frayus, gun to Sornel’s head. Torill either dead or stunned on the ground. “Captain, don’t do this-” “Shut up, traitor! Or I’ll blast your friend’s head clean off! If it hadn’t been for you and all of you ridiculous children in the Alliance, none of this would have happened! My family would still be alive.” Nash locked eyes with Sornel. The face they made signaled to Nash that he would have to be quick on the draw. As he motioned that he was putting his blaster down, Sornel began to subtly tap their feet. “That damned Nikto tried to jump me as I broke my binders, as did this one. He’s lucky I had it set on stun. Not anymore.” Sornel’s tapping quickened. “It’s the same for me.” Nash replied, and as Sornel’s tapping became a solid stomp on the ground, they dropped themself to the ground and rolled away, and Nash pulled his gun again. Frayus had not expected that either. Sornel was a very closed off individual when it came to personality, and it was clear that Frayus had underestimated them at nearly every step today. Never again. The Captain’s eyes grew wide as he tried to aim his blaster in an attempt to shoot his former hostage, though he never had a chance as heat sunk into his chest. Three solid shots, centre mass. As Captain Simar Frayus took his final, desperate gasps on the floor of his own bridge, he swore he could see his wife’s face. Perhaps he still could go home, then.

As the Captain lay dead on the floor, Nash and Sornel checked on Torill. He was recovering from being stunned, and Nash shook him awake. They needed him back in the chair now, or they were all dead. “Torill! We need you to steer us out of here!” “Right, right. I’m on it.” Nash grabbed his comm and contacted Myri, who was still fighting at the airlock. “Myri, we need someone to disconnect us from that ship. Can anyone get to the console?” Myri ducked to avoid a shot that could very well have hit her head. “Yes sir! We’ve almost cleaned up the second assault.” “Get it done, and quick. If we’re stuck here longer we’re all dead.” He keyed the intercom into the engine room. “Engines, ready on my command.” He looked to Torill, who was sitting in his chair, ready at any moment. “Torill, as soon as I give the signal, steer us into the bridge of that Interdictor.” Torill looked at him as though he grew a tail. “Wait what? We’re going to ram that thing?” “We need to disable it’s gravity well before reinforcements arrive or we’re never getting out of here. On my signal. All gunners:” Sornel keyed him between each section he needed to communicate with over the intercom. “On my signal, pour everything you have at pont two-one-five, the bridge of that cruiser. Cannons, missiles, everything we have. All Hands: When I give the signal, brace yourselves. No more of us will die today.” Myri’s voice came from Nash’s personal comm. “Sir, we’ve got the rest of the troopers on the run! Disengaging us from their hold… now!” “All Hands: The light is green. Execute your orders then brace for impact. Torill, Now!” Simultaneously, the generator was kicked into overdrive, the engines of the ship were blasted, every gun focused it’s fire on the bridge of the ship, and Torill steered to hit the bridge head on. As the last of the missiles impacted the shields, Nash saw a point where the shields receded. “All power to engines and forward shields!” Sornel executed the command in less than a second. As the ship drew closer and closer to the bridge, Nash closed his eyes. This would either be the best idea he ever had, or the worst -and last- mistake he’d ever make. 

He felt himself get thrown halfway across the bridge, and then heard Torill’s voice call out. “Impact on bridge, looks like none of them are seeing their next leave. Hey, we can get out of here now, right?” Nash rose to his feet again. “Excellent work. Take us home.” As the Jurano’s Heart prepared to jump to hyperspace, Nash looked at the holotable. The Interdictor, with it’s bridge destroyed, was now dead in space, and any aboard would likely die before help would arrive. As they entered hyperspace, he saw on the scanner two Arquitens cruisers come out of hyperspace far enough away that they couldn’t hope to do anything in time. They probably didn’t even get a chance to pick them up on scanners. As the view in front of them went from the black of space, the stars stretched and the world became blue in front of their very eyes. They did it.

Nash and Sornel prepared the intercom; “All hands, this is Lieutenant Girard. We are away. Tend to the wounded, assess the damage, and congratulate each other. We’ll rendezvous with the fleet in eighteen hours.” With that, Nash felt all energy fade from his body. As his vision went black, he saw Sornel look at him in surprise as he fell to the ground.

He woke some hours later in his quarters, with his team and Sornel talking and waiting for him to wake. Myri noticed first and told him what happened. “You were operating on pure adrenaline for that entire battle. I’m surprised you didn’t pass out sooner. Crevil and Sornel filled us in on everything. We’ve gathered the bodies of the Captain and everyone who died in the fighting.” Nash sat up. “Thank you, Myri. Sorry to shock everyone after what we just went through.” Boaz spoke up. “So why did the Captain snap like that?” Nash sighed. He had hoped to inform everyone when they returned to the fleet, but it appeared he couldn't hide it any longer. “Alderaan has been destroyed. Yavin was evacuated after they took out the station that destroyed it. That’s why we’re meeting with the fleet instead of heading back to base.” “Damn Imps.” Gramor cursed. “Cowards. All of them.” “The Captain too.” Nash added. “He would have rather killed all of us than any rational option. A position of command for decades and he snaps that easy.” “Well, what about you?” Boaz asked. “Alderaan was your home too. How are you feeling?” Nash couldn’t answer that even if he wanted to. For now, “I don’t know” would have to do. “I’ve checked and rechecked our trajectory and we shouldn’t be coming across any more Imperials for the remaining hour of the journey.” Crevil couldn’t be serious. “I slept for seventeen hours?” Nash quickly rose to his feet and started toward the door, but was stopped by Sornel. “Lieutenant, everything is fine. Calm down.” Very well. “Have repairs been finished? Wounded checked?” “Anything that we’re able to do ourselves has been taken care of.” Myri said. “Anyone we can’t treat has at least been stabilized.” That brought Nash some relief. Maybe he could take a minute to calm down and clear his head. “Thank you everyone. Now I need some time to myself if you don’t mind.” Everyone began to file out the door. Except for Sornel. They stayed leaning against the wall. “Hell of a plan you had.” “We’d all be dead without you. I guess I kept everyone focused. You did the important jobs.” Sornel chuckled. “Well hopefully one of us gets promoted, otherwise I’m going to be stuck under a new Captain. And I hate introductions.” They noticed Nash’s eyes grow wide. “What? You thought I hated you or something? I just don’t like new people. Once I get to know people I’m their best damn friend.” Interesting. “So the stories I’ve heard about the legendary party animal of Gratt are all true then?” Sornel decided now was a good time to leave. “You wish.” The two laughed as Sornel walked away. Maybe they really could be his friend. After all, they did save each other’s lives.

An hour later, Nash, Sornel, and Torill were on the bridge as the Jurano’s Heart dropped out of hyperspace at the fleet’s rendezvous and docked with the Gatecrasher, a Mark I Assault Frigate. Once the ship was linked, the three of them were summoned to the command centre for report and debriefing. Everyone else was able to do the typical things allowed in their off-time, such as mingling with the crew, catching up on sleep, or working out in what limited space was available to do so. As the “Command Crew” of the Jurano’s Heart arrived in the command centre, they saw the faces of many of the Alliance’s top leaders. Jan Dodonna,Carlits Rieeken, Davits Draven, Mon Mothma, Leia. The Princess was here in person standing among the other leaders of the Alliance. “Good of you to join us, but where is Captain Frayus?” asked General Draven. “He’s dead, sir.” Nash responded. “Relieved of command and executed by my hand.” Everyone in the room, including the other officers at their various duties grew silent.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
Counsel

Aboard the frigate Gatecrasher. 

“I beg your pardon, Lieutenant?” The shock in Mon Mothma’s tone was palpable. “Captain Simar Frayus betrayed the Alliance, The royal family of Alderaan, and his crew by deliberately steering the Jurano’s Heart into a known Imperial Interdictor ambush. We fought tooth and nail and were barely able to escape before we were wiped out. I executed him out of necessity. We tried to detain him and he broke out and attacked the crew. I stand by my actions and if I am to be punished then I accept.” Two marines started toward Nash as General Draven halted them. “How did he gain control of the ship? What were you doing, Helmsman Torill that prevented you from stopping him?” “Sir I-” “If I may speak for Helmsman Torill sir-” Nash tried to butt in and save him. Again. “I don’t need you to save me again Nash. I can tell them myself. Sir, the Captain ordered me to plot a course for the Vestare Belt, where we knew Imperials were set up, likely with an Interdictor. I refused, but he ordered me at gunpoint. I’m sorry.”

The Command staff looked to one another, obviously in agreement without the need for words. “Lieutenant Linash Girard, Comms Officer Sornel Gratt, Helmsman Torill Draav, please submit your reports for review and we will reconvene in two hours.” General Rieekan was interested in every detail. He had known Captain Frayus for years, and never suspected he was capable of such things. For now, the reports would have to do.

Nash hated waiting. Especially when he wasn’t sure if he would still be alive in another hour. He shot his commanding officer. Sure, the circumstances dictated it but he still went through with it. Still pulled the trigger three times. And worst of all? It felt good. It felt right. It felt like delivering justice with his own hands. Maybe the Captain deserved it. Maybe Nash deserved to be executed for what he did. Part of him knew deep down though that no matter what, at least the crew of the Jurano’s Heart could live to fight another day because of his actions. Even if he wouldn’t be there with them, Nash knew that he had done the right thing.

Finally, he was summoned back into the command centre. Torill and Sornel were kept in a separate room from Nash, likely because he admitted to assassinating a superior officer. The three of them exchanged looks as the Rebel Leaders entered the room. It was only now that Nash noticed that Leia had not spoken during the first part of the meeting, even when the others had muttered hushed words to each other. “Lieutenant Linash Girard, you are hereby cleared of charges. After reviewing all three reports we have confirmed that you acted only out of necessity, and not only that, you lead a hammerhead corvette out of the jaws of an Interdictor!” Nash breathed out a sigh of relief. “Which leads us to our next order of business…” General Dodonna continued. “Torill Draav, for your actions under pressure you are being awarded. Please proceed with General Rieekan to the next room.” They waited until the two left the room before continuing. “Sornel Gratt, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Commander in the Alliance Navy. You will remain stationed aboard the Jurano’s Heart under the command of Linash Girard. Linash, you are hereby promoted to Captain. We realize that you are a commando but your actions have proven you have a… a knack for naval command. And besides, having your own ship increases your combat effectiveness for your operations when need be.” Wait, what? “All due respect, General, I don’t deserve this promotion. Sornel deserves sole command of the ship.” This wasn’t right. “When I executed Captain Frayus it felt good. Right now I only care about avenging Alderaan. I will not drag the crew of a ship down with me.” Sornel was clearly angered by this outburst. “Nash, don’t be an idiot. You’re turning down a promotion based solely on the fact that you want revenge. Use your damn head.” “Lieutenant, if I could have a word?” The princess was clearly concerned as she cut into the argument. “Well now you’ve done it.” Sornel whispered to Nash. Clearly they thought it was funny but Nash was embarrassed. “Of course, Princess.”

He followed Leia out of the command centre and to the observation deck, which was empty. As they looked out at the scenery, Nash noticed a bright red nebula and a handful of small moons off in the distance. Nash decided he should apologize but before he could, Leia broke the silence. “I’m sorry about Captain Frayus. He was a good man.” “Thank you, Princess. I only wish his last act could have been one of heroism. Instead he died as a traitor and a crazed old man trying to kill everyone he was responsible for.” Leia fell silent. “The Captain had a wife, a family who died scared without him anywhere to be seen. They didn’t know he was part of the Rebellion and the regret and pain of not being there with them likely tore him apart. Wouldn’t you feel the same?” Nash had definitely thought about it, but he decided that it didn’t excuse the Captain’s actions. “Princess I lost my parents and my sister. Her little kids too. You were her friend. I just don’t know how to feel about this all outside of... anger. And I would never do what he did. I want to hit the Empire back and I don’t care if I die in the process.” 

Leia looked out at the stars. “I watched, you know.” “What?” “I watched. As our home came into range. I was on the bridge in custody and I watched as that monster Tarkin told them to fire.” Nash didn’t know how to respond. Tears welled in Leia’s eyes and Nash stayed silent. “I watched as the beam fired out of the station and our world exploded. My family, my friends, the people I was supposed to protect when I took the throne. Our people. I watched as they all were destroyed in a second. All of our history, all of our people, just... gone.” Nash tried to find words. Words of comfort, support, anything. “Princess, I’m... I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Was all he could utter. “Please, just... don’t make us lose any more than we have already. You will be responsible for everyone on that ship. You need to remember that. Our home and our families may be gone but we must keep going. We need to carry their memories as we bring justice to those responsible. Take the promotion. I know you can do it. Now come on, we need to get back to the command centre.” Nash still had no idea what to say. He had only spoken to the princess a select few times before and now she was the sole voice of reason in his head. “Thank you, Princess.” “Please, Nash. Call me Leia.” “Thank you… Leia.”

As they made their way back to the command centre Nash noticed that it looked like a weight was still crushing Leia. He asked; “You haven’t spoken to anyone else about what happened to you?” Leia stopped. “No, I haven’t.” Nash looked into her eyes. “Leia you are strong, kind, and the most sensible person I know. Even if we have no home to return to I trust you to be a true and honest leader. I’m sure your parents would be proud.” Nash could tell how important those words were to her. “Thank you Nash.” They finally arrived back at the command centre and Nash was addressed by Mon Mothma herself.

“Have you come to a decision?” Nash took a deep breath. “Yes, Senator. If it means carrying on the legacy of my…” He looked to Leia. “Our people, then this is the best way to do it.” He wasn’t sure, but at the corner of his eye he could swear he saw Leia smile. “Good answer. Now you will be in command of the ship you just lead out of the hands of the Empire. Make your people proud.” As a fellow Alderaanian, General Rieekan seemed satisfied with the decision. Draven was the next to speak. “Now return to your ship and await your new assignment. Your new rank pin will be waiting aboard the bridge.” 

Nash gave the leaders a salute, and a short bow to Leia before leaving the command centre. As he left he wondered when -if ever- he would be able to see her again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four  
Command

Aboard the Jurano’s Heart.

It had been one week since Nash’s promotion to Captain and he was given command of the Jurano’s Heart. He was bored. They had been assigned to escort the fleet until further orders, but he was starting to think nobody trusted him with a mission. His doubts were laid to rest when Sornel -now his second in command- knocked on the door of his quarters. “Come in.” They entered holding a datapad, seeming to be focused entirely on whatever they were reading. “Captain, the orders for our next mission have arrived.” Nash snapped awake, which was odd because he wasn’t even sleeping. “Good morning to you too. What’s the mission?” He put on his hat and began to walk with them to the bridge, briefing along the way. “Our mission is to transport reinforcements to Markon Station. It’s a civilian station that is secretly supplying us with intelligence concerning Imperial movement in the area. It’s also home to plenty of family of Alliance personnel who were considered in danger of abduction by the Empire, as well as a lot of refugees who have been rescued through various humanitarian actions like freeing prisoners and slaves.” Interesting. They passed a couple troopers in the hall, who both saluted Nash. He gave them a nod as he walked past. “So it’s cover is a regular civilian hub station but it’s full of our personnel and sympathizers. How have they kept that hidden from the Imps?” There’s no way they haven’t been found out by the ISB by now. “The Imperial Security Bureau has potentially discovered a lead at some point, but that’s a risk all our operations have. As of now they’ve only requested a rotation of security forces. We are to transport thirty soldiers to the station and thirty back. Most are troopers whose families are aboard the station while some are troopers who haven’t been cleared for combat operations either due to lack of training or recovery from wounds.” 

They arrived at the bridge and were greeted by a mature looking Mon Cal trooper. She approached the two officers and saluted. “Captain Girard. Commander Gratt. I’m Sargent Copparu Dek. I’m in charge of the troopers you’ll be transporting. We’re bunked up and ready to stay out of your way until we get to the destination.” Was she trying to be polite or did she not like Nash? He genuinely couldn’t tell. “Good to meet you, Sargent Dek. Torill? Take us to hyperspace. Sargent. Anything you can tell me about Markon Station that wouldn’t be in the regular briefing? It’s situation has piqued my interest and I want to know as much about it as possible before we arrive.” Nash had no idea the Alliance had operations like this. He knew about the spy network run by groups like the Bothan’s of course, and the humanitarian missions undertaken anytime a cell was able to help, but he had no idea they had entire stations used as fronts to hide fugitives. The idea fascinated him.

“Well Captain, It’s home to several fugitives of various species we’ve helped escape from Imperial prisons. The largest of those groups is the Togorians. They’re a feline species native to Togoria but these ones are from their own world, a moon called Selomo 2. It’s a trade hub that supported the CIS and was occupied by the Empire five years ago. The royal court was stripped of most of its influence, but they’ve managed to operate mostly the same with the exception of heavy Imp military presence and mining in the northern region. The leader of the station is Myzzel Dar. He has no military rank and he’s not officially part of the Alliance, but he supports us and he’s well respected on the station so he’s in charge. The station is fairly large, able to hold a few hundred people. Security gets rotated out whenever troopers need time away from danger, like healing from wounds or if they’re visiting family that lives aboard. I myself have a family waiting there and I'm assigned there for a month while my knee stops giving me trouble.” Nash knew how the Alliance typically rotated soldiers on duty. They’d be assigned one of the maintenance or support roles on a base or ship -wherever they wouldn’t be expected to do much fighting- until their time away was up or minor wounds healed. Markon Station was one such place then. They weren’t an official military with planets under their control so they couldn’t have troopers on shore leave like the Empire occasionally allowed. Exceptions to allow personnel back into society were sometimes made but they were few and far between. Still, Nash was jealous that some soldiers got to see their families at least occasionally. Nash hadn’t seen his since- since the day he joined the Rebellion two years ago. Now… He would never see them again. “Are you all right, Captain?” He heard Sornel’s voice as he snapped back to reality. “I’m fine.” He replied, only now feeling the cold sweat on his forehead and neck. “Thank you, Sargent. We’ll be at the station in twenty-six hours. Dismissed.” Nash stayed on the bridge as Sargent Dek and Commander Gratt left to iron out further details about the troopers’ stay aboard the Jurano’s Heart.

Twenty-six hours later the ship exited hyperspace and came into view of Markon Station. It was larger than he expected. Despite many thin struts extending from the main body giving the station the illusion of a larger size, it’s main body’s size was about that of a Star Destroyer. It had large hangar bays that seemed mostly empty save for a handful of scattered crates, similar to a carrier. If it weren’t for the struts and lack of engines, the station would look like a ship itself, though an odd shaped and poorly designed one. As they approached the station, they received a hail. “Unknown ship this is Markon Station. Please identify.” Sornel waited for Nash to step over before accepting and responding. “Markon Station, this is the Jurano’s Heart requesting permission to dock.” After a few quiet seconds a new voice came over the comms. “Captain, I will meet you at bay three and await our new personnel. We have much to discuss.” That must have been Myzzel. Nash noticed the phrasing was intentionally vague, likely to not tip the Imperials in the off chance that any were listening in. 

“So we’ve got shore leave then?” Boaz asked as he cleaned and checked his weapons. “You wish. How could we keep you on a leash if you had shore leave? Command knows how bad you are with the ladies. They want to spare you the trouble of embarrassing yourself.” Myri’s remark got the whole squad to chuckle. “Yeah well a guy’s gotta have some fun sometimes.” Ever prepared to back up his best friend, Gramor let out a quick “hoo-ah” in response. “The mission is simply to transport soldiers here to act as security and take the troopers meant to rotate back into active duty.” Crevil always seemed to enjoy breaking down Boaz by repeating orders or citing regulation. Supposedly, being a cyborg helped with that but according to Crevil himself, he had always been a stickler for regulation before his augmentation. The chatter stopped as soon as Nash appeared at the door to the barracks. “Get ready, squad. We’re taking the troops aboard and then heading to the station’s command deck. I thought Boaz might enjoy seeing civilians on the walk past.” Ouch. “You’re making me sound like an animal, sir.” Bo’s fake offense made Gramor laugh again. “That’s a nice way of putting it. The Captain’s only holding back because he doesn’t want to embarrass you in front of all those civvie girls on the station.” Gramor mimicked the way a rich coruscant socialite would walk and Boaz punched his leg. “Five minutes, squad. Meet me at the airlock.” “Yes sir!” Even though he was a Captain in charge of a naval vessel, Nash was still a commando. And he still had his squad.

As the doors of the ship opened and Nash and his squad stepped into the hangar, he noticed a heavy set feline creature standing in the bay, with brilliant black fur and a confident stance. “Welcome to Markon Station. I am Myzzel Dar, the leader here. You must be Captain Girard.” He approached Nash and as Nash attempted a salute, Dar went in for a handshake. “I’m not Alliance, kid. We don’t salute here.” Right. “Sorry. I haven’t been outside of military circles in a couple years.” “I’ve always been good at first impressions and you just broke my streak. Ah well. Let’s head to the command centre and get down to business.” As Sargent Dek and her soldiers filed out of the ship, Dar addressed them. “Troopers; head to the barracks on C deck. One of our boys’ll lead the way.” The mob of people in the hangar quickly dispersed as Dar led Nash and his squad through the station.

“I decided to take the scenic route. Don’t worry, everybody here is pro-rebel. Hell, most of them are family to somebody in the Alliance.” Dar took them through what looked like a market. “Yeah we know. Commander Gratt is very thorough with briefings and I bent Sargent Dek’s ear on the way here.” “I didn’t know Mon Cal’s had ears.” Gramor and Boaz chuckled to each other. Being an Abednedo, Gramor didn’t have ears either. “It’s a figure of speech. It means he asked a lot of questions.” Dar gave a disappointed side-eye to Crevil. “I know what it means, kid. That was a joke.” They began walking past people in the market. Many stopped and either waved, handed them food, or shouted some manner of greeting or word of encouragement. Dar wasn’t exaggerating. Everybody there really was pro-rebel. Every guard they walked near wasn’t identifiable by posture, attitude, or any other way except for uniform. They were mixed in, talking to people like any other resident. Nash looked back at the market area and noticed Myri and Gramor both had armfuls of food, Myri biting down on a small bun to hold it in her mouth. Myzzel let out a hearty laugh. “The people here are great, huh? Once we go up this lift we’ll be in the command centre.”

As they entered the command centre, Nash noticed that it looked like the bridge of a ship rather than one that would be on a station. Maybe the station was made up of pieces of disassembled ships. That would explain his observations of the station’s exterior. “Alright, now down to business.” Crew members either in plain clothes or Alliance uniform milled about and performed various tasks as Dar approached a holotable. “In four hours an Imperial convoy is planning on stopping here to refuel. Considering your timing this is a good opportunity for you to track them and attack them after they jump away.” Nash leaned against the table as the three Gozanti cruisers appeared as holograms. “We only have a lightly modded Hammerhead. We’re far too understrength to take on three Gozantis.” They would need help from the station if they were going to do this. “How about instead of us tracking them, we have my squad and a few troopers steal the ships right out of the hangars? Your people won’t be involved.” Dar scoffed. “If the attack even happens in the same system as the station we’ll be executed for treason and this entire setup will be unraveled. No.” Nash had to think of something or they wouldn’t be able to do more than sit back and let the ships go by unchallenged. They can’t take them down head to head, and they can’t let the station people be involved… “What if… what if we attack the ships before they get here, then finish them off after they leave? What’s the nearest place they would be before jumping here?” One of the analysts checked their keypad. “The Parken system, sir. A two hour jump away with several asteroids to hide in.” Perfect. “Then I’ll load my ship and strike them there. The convoy will suffer mild damage and then jump here. A convoy won’t call for help if they suffer minor damage so it should be fine. Then they’ll refuel and continue on their way and once they leave we’ll be waiting for them in the next system and destroy them then.” That’s the best plan he could come up with. If only the station could help. “That’s good enough for me. As long as they don’t suspect us, it works.”

As Nash and his team began to board the Jurano’s Heart again, Myzzel called out to him. “Best of luck Captain. May we meet again.” Nash nodded as he turned and boarded his ship. He had his doubts about this plan, but it was the best one he could come up with so it would have to do. And besides, he had to be confident or else nobody else would be either. He entered the bridge and explained the situation to Sornel as they entered hyperspace. Once en route, he contacted General Draven and briefed him on the situation. “Make it happen, Captain. The station can’t be linked to the attack.” “Yes sir. We’ll get it done and keep the station safe in the process.” He saluted Draven and the transmission ended. When the ship came out of hyperspace, Torill steered the ship to hide in a cluster of asteroids and await the convoy. They would attack, jump away, then await the convoy two jumps away from the system where Markon Station was located.

An hour later, the Jurano’s Heart reactivated full power and moved to intercept the three Gozantis. They came up on what Sornel predicted would be the blind spot, weaving between asteroids as best as the corvette could. Nash ordered torpedoes to fire at communication systems first, then laser fire would open up on any turrets or fighters the convoy had. At least, that was the plan. When the Jurano’s Heart attacked, the lead Gozanti avoided one of the torpedoes hitting it’s communications. The strike damaged the hull on the front cruiser’s portside fin, while the other two struck on target. Nash ordered Torill to move under the convoy so that they could attack any fighters before they launched only… there weren’t any. Why would a convoy travel without a fighter compliment? Every Gozanti class could carry up to four TIE/ln fighters on it’s ventral hull. As Sornel tried to figure it out, the gunners continued firing at the convoy. Nash ordered them to break off and move around for another pass. After a minute or two of maneuvering through the field, they were at the perfect position to strike. Nash was about to give the order to open fire… when three new Imperial contacts appeared on the ship’s scanner. Reinforcements. Karabast. “All gunners stand down!” Nash couldn’t believe he fell for the trap. 

An Arquitens-class light cruiser as well as two more Gozantis began closing in fast. The worst part? These Gozantis did have fighters. And they would be on them in less than a minute. These ships must have been waiting nearby to jump in and assist the convoy. They knew Rebels would attack them and they wanted to catch them, just as they did to Nash and his crew now. “We need to get out of here now, or we’re all dead. Torill, evasive action. When can we jump away?” Torill was frantically steering the ship both through laser fire from the convoy and around the asteroids in the field. It took him a second or two longer to respond than Nash would have liked. “Sorry sir, we need to get out of this field first. I think it’ll take at least another twenty seconds!” Sornel snapped. “Well those TIEs will be on us by the time we get out! We need to overload the engines and cut power to everything else except the hyperdrive.” Nash couldn’t believe they would recommend this. “Why would we cut our shields? We’ll get torn apart from both directions if the shields go down.” Torill assured Nash that if they kicked the engines into overdrive for at least a few seconds, and cut power to everything else that he would be able to both outrun the fighters and dodge the rocks that threatened to rip the ship apart. “Alright. Do it.”

Sornel keyed the engine room to cut power to every non-essential system and overload the reactor for no more than five- make that seven seconds. Overloading the reactor was terrible for the lifespan of the parts, but if it helped them survive once or twice, it was worth the cost of repairs. At least, that was Sornel’s reasoning. They would rather survive to be bored during long repairs, than die purely because they didn’t want to give the engineers a headache. The thought was cut short by the blast of the engines though, which meant Torill would either kill them all, or they would be safe to jump away. Everyone onboard had no choice left but to trust the helmsman. They could see the TIE fighters approaching rapidly on the radar screen, but as soon as the engines kicked into overdrive the fighters began moving farther and farther away. “Clearing the field and ready to jump to hyperspace in three… two… one!”

With the stars stretching out and the view becoming blue, they escaped into hyperspace. The TIE fighters’ weapons couldn’t even get in range before the ship escaped. Nash turned to Sornel and sighed. “How did they know we would be there?” Sornel brought up a map on the holotable to go over what happened. Nothing they did seemed like they were detected until they attacked. Sure, they missed the lead ship’s communications but they couldn’t call ships a system away in mere seconds… unless… Nash couldn’t place it. “They didn’t only expect us, they’re going for the station. And they aren’t just stopping for fuel. I think they’re taking it over.” Nash’s gut sank. He didn’t dare imagine it, but he knew deep down that Sornel was right. “And we just gave them justification. A Rebel attack was conducted just one system away, then jumped back to them. That gives them perfect reasoning to take over the station. Zahrak.” Zahrak was one of those phrases he picked up from another commando when he first joined up. On her homeworld it was probably the most foul thing you could say. The older commando told Nash that her cousin was arrested one time for saying it in the presence of the port town’s mayor. 

“Contact Myzzel Dar and tell him that the Imperials are planning on taking over his station. We’ll probably get there before the Imps so we might have time to either evacuate or at least prepare defenses. We should also update General Draven.” Nash knew that Myzzel would understandably be beyond angry, but lives were on the line and they needed to act fast.

When the Jurano’s Heart arrived and landed in one of Markon Station’s hangars, Myzzel was standing, waiting. Flanked by several troopers and all looking like they were ready for a fight. “You bastard! You’ve doomed us all!” Myzzel shouted to Nash as he stepped out of the ship. Sornel could see that Nash was pale, but his voice sounded calm. “General Draven agrees with Commander Gratt’s assessment. They were already planning on taking over this station, which means they knew all along. We simply gave them a surface level justification. But we have a plan.” Myzzel growled. “No more of your plans! Get out of here and maybe we can convince them we had nothing to do with this! Then they’ll leave us alone!” Why was he being so stubborn? “You know that won’t work. We have to fight together. The Empire will have a task force here in less than an hour and I sure as hell won’t let you give up and surrender your people’s lives.” The troopers surrounding Myzzel seemed to calm down. “Let’s go to the command centre and we’ll walk you through our plan. Sornel, let’s go.” Sornel wasn’t a fan of how he said their plan. Sure, he gave his input and had some ideas, but it wasn’t his plan. It was Sornel’s. Theirs. They were the tactician, he was the leader. Of course they didn’t say anything, but it bothered them all the same. IF this plan works, Nash would get the commendation and recognition. Not them. But at least the people would be safe.

“Sornel, are you ok?” Nash’s voice rang in their mind. The group was still making their way to the command centre, but apparently Nash had noticed the grim look on their face. “I’m fine, just running through some details in my head. Kinda taking a few leaps here and there but other than that everything seems good.” Nash smiled. “Good. I trust any plan you come up with, especially one that I helped make.” Ugh. He’s totally going to take the credit. But at least he’s honest about it. Especially with that dumb smile on his face.

The group reached the command centre and Sornel walked through the strategy and explained how everything would work. The focus was on getting the citizens out safely, but that would require those three Gozantis to land first. They most definitely would, both to unload troopers and to stop for repairs. Nash and his squad would stay aboard and lead the defense and acquisition of the ships. Sornel would lead the Jurano’s Heart and the station’s fighters to distract the Arquitens and other two Gozantis, hopefully they would hold the line long enough to get everyone out and scuttle the station. Once everyone was away they would scatter and meet back up four system jumps away, then proceed to the Rebel fleet. Every ship would have at least one person who knew the coordinates of the rally point. All pilots of course, but for the teams taking the cruisers they would need one of Nash’s team or Myzzel aboard to direct them. The reason for this was twofold, so that the Empire couldn’t intercept a message with the coordinates, and because two of the ships still had no communications after the Jurano’s attack.

Myzzel finally relented and allowed Nash to take command of the troops aboard the station, while he and some of his troops readied the civilians to evacuate. Nash wanted to offer words of encouragement to those who were scared, but he had neither the words nor the time to do so. Sornel sprinted back to the Heart as Nash called his squad to get themselves and every trooper aboard ready and out of the ship in five minutes. The station had three Y-Wing bombers and five A-Wing interceptors take off and move with the Jurano’s Heart to the other side of the gas giant that Markon Station orbited. The ships waited behind the planet for five minutes before the Imperial ships arrived, together this time. Nash and everyone on board the station were still getting ready, but the small barricades they had set up would have to do. At least the doors they couldn’t set up at were sealed shut. Nash looked out a window as the Imperial ships moved closer to the station. The three damaged Gozanti cruisers were moving to land in the hangars while the other ships maintained a fair distance away. The two other cruisers flanking the light frigate deployed their fighters, eight in total. Too bad they couldn’t shoot some down earlier. Nash began running to his position as he saw a ship deploy from the Arquitens too. Blast, it was a Sentinel shuttle. That meant there was at least an extra platoon of troopers to fight off. Nash stopped. Maybe the shuttle had an officer aboard as well. They could capture and deliver them to Rebel Command and get some good intel. Intel that could liberate a planet, or at least save some lives. The fight would be difficult enough without having to capture someone unharmed.

With the hangars clear and enough space for all four ships to land, the convoy and shuttle landed and began to unload troopers. Because the soldiers were all hidden, the obviously aging Imperial Captain came forward with four troopers to speak to whomever was in charge of the station. Nash hid his E-11, bandolier, and hat before entering the hangar. The plan was to lead them out from the hangar so some troopers could sneak in and commandeer the ships. That shuttle could do some good as well. As Nash and the Captain approached each other, Nash needed an alias, fast. Hopefully the troops had him covered in case anything happened. He was unarmed, after all.

“Morning! I speak for the people of this station. I take it you’re the troops here to refuel?” The captain snickered. “Nice try, we know you’re housing Rebels and we’re here to annex this station. Welcome to the law and order of the Empire.” Nash tried not to groan. That Imp just confirmed, it was his fault that this station was being taken. “I’m Mr… Sukka. What’s your name, sir?” The captain shoved him to the side, then so did the troopers escorting him. “He’s Captain Teeb, your new boss.” One of the troopers sneered as Nash was shoved to the side again. He followed the group through the hallway and waited until the door closed behind them. Nash was giving some speech about how the Empire is always welcome aboard but that he wasn’t aware of any rebel activity, which was obviously a lie. The group marched further in, then Nash let out some sort of war cry as he tackled the Captain to the ground. He heard a grunt and a cut off “What the-” as blaster fire exploded above them, and the four troopers went down each with multiple scorch marks on their armour. Nash turned the Captain onto his back, and punched him in the face several times before he was sure the officer was unconscious. He could have carefully struck once, but he wanted to vent some anger before joining the battle. He dragged the unconscious officer behind the barricade where he hid his gear, plucked the code cylinders and rank plaque, then grabbed his own gear. The Alliance never gave him a proper rank plaque but now he had one of his own. He ordered two of the troopers who helped him to take the unconscious officer to one of the ships. As he pinned the new rank, put on his hat, slung his bandolier back on, and picked up his blaster, Nash and the rest of the soldiers scattered toward the surrounding sounds of blaster fire.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five  
Pressure

Nash and two troopers turned a corner in the hallway, and saw laser fire exchanging in two directions. Leading the Captain’s procession away from the hangar meant being far away when the fighting started. There was an intersection ahead that Alliance and Imperial troops were fighting for control of, and for now the Rebels had it. The three soldiers moved in to help. Nash shouted “Friendlies right!” so they wouldn’t be shot at by a panicked trooper. Nash hugged the wall beside a woman who leaned around the corner to fire a few shots. When the trooper came back around, she acknowledged Nash. “Captain! We’re holding fine here but corridor B is being pushed back! They’re just down the hall, we’ll cover you!” Nash nodded. Several troopers cried out “Covering Fire!” as Nash and the two others ran through the intersection and continued down to corridor B. The troopers here were faring much worse. One wounded man -a weequay- held one hand on his side and raised the other to wave pitifully at Nash as he approached. Nash kneeled and leaned in so the man could speak. “Sir, I don’t think we can hold them much longer. I think most of the troopers focused here. I ran here to help from D corridor and none of the other halls were hit as hard as this. Everyone else was holding, last I saw.” That explained the number of wounded or dead here. Nash motioned the two troopers with him -a pair of Ishi Tib- to move into position and help the three troopers still firing. One was laying down and firing a pistol with one hand, while the other seemed to be holding his collar. The young man’s leg had been hit as well. ‘This is bad’ Nash thought. He jumped through the intersection of the corridor and patted the lying man, then dragged him behind cover. “You’ve done enough, kid! Wait here, we’ll get you out as soon as we can!” He called him kid, though if anything, Nash was younger. “I can still shoot, sir!” The piercing sound of blaster fire made everyone in the hall shout so they could be heard by the soldier beside them. “No, you’ve done enough! We don’t need more dead today!” The young man finally eased. “Yes sir.” With that settled, Nash began to directly help the failing defense. He knew they wouldn’t be able to hold forever, so after firing a few shots he keyed his comm to speak to his squad. “Acquisition Teams, we’re holding back the troopers but we can’t keep this up long! Move in now!” His comm unit pinged with three affirmatives, meaning that each team would begin charging the hangar, take over the cruisers, and once the Imperials were cut off the tide would turn.

Myri pinged her comm affirmative to let Nash know that her team would now move to commandeer one of the cruisers. Creviland Bo’s teams also pinged which meant they would all be attacking at once. Gramor was in charge of holding one of the halls, just like Nash. He was a heavy fighter so he was perfect for that role. Where Myri excelled however, was speed. She switched her rifle from semi-automatic to her own custom setting, which was full-auto with a fire rate that nearly tripled that of a standard A280. She looked to make sure her team was ready and rushed into the hangar. She ran past three Imperials that barely had time to turn and face her before they were shot in the back by her squad. She full-bodied slammed into an officer from behind and began unloading her rifle on the rest of the troopers she could see in the hangar. Her squad quickly took up positions to support the attack. Only three navy troopers had a chance to shoot back. The Stormtroopers were focused first and taken down before most could react. In mere seconds, a full platoon was wiped out by the fearless Rodian and her five-man support squad. That left the access lift clear for them to enter the Gozanti and raise hell with the crew inside then take command of the ship.

She charged to the helm while three of her troopers took it upon themselves to clear the rest of the ship, in the event any more were aboard and willing to put up a fight. She quickly disarmed the Lieutenant and stunned him and the other two personnel. The two troopers with her climbed into the seats and began the startup sequence. The other three troopers came back and took the stunned Imperials to where the other prisoners were being held. Now to check in and see if the other teams had been as successful.

Aboard the Arquitens cruiser, Lieutenant Lin was in charge while Captain Exeden Teeb took the glory of capturing the station for himself. Lin was second in command purely because the commander aboard made the mistake of transferring without a replacement already onboard. Such things were rare in the navy, yet bad things always seemed to happen to Lin. Much like how right now, the young Lin saw his sensors light up with nine hostile ships coming around the planet that Markon Station orbited. The fighters were simply patrolling around the station, so he called them back to protect them. Nine ships would be no match for the Empire’s finest pilots, never mind the other three Imperial ships. The Arquitens Cruiser was much better equipped to take on a corvette than the two Gozantis, but they could still help. The Rebel fighters had the same numbers as the TIEs so they would be no match. Lin gave the order for all ships to gather and move to engage the rebel ships. 

The Imperial ships moved past Markon Station, and Lieutenant Lin ordered the TIEs to move ahead and engage the fighters. They were close enough now that the scanners recognised three Y-Wings and five A-Wings. Easy. He could likely let the fighters tear apart the ships and then move on to take down the corvette, but Lin wanted the recognition of commanding the ship that destroyed a Hammerhead. After one of them somehow took down two entire Star Destroyers at Scarif, Lin knew that would be an accomplishment to be proud of. “Scanner contact picking up two new contacts, sir! Bombers!” One of the ensigns called out, and Lin felt a wave of panic wash over him. It was a trap to lure them away from the station and disable them from behind. “All fighters, break off and protect us before those bombers disable our engines!” The fighters banked away and back toward the two Y-Wings. The rebels must have docked them on the station before the battle. As the TIEs began to return, Lin saw it was too late. A-Wings were slower, but they were getting close and the TIEs were called away at the worst possible time; the seconds it took the fighters to turn around brought the Rebels into range! The fighters were getting shot from behind by both the corvette and A-Wings. The cruiser shook violently and Lin fell to the ground. He saw two Y-wings fly past the bridge viewport. “Bombers have destroyed our engines! We’re losing power!” Lin quickly rose to his feet and saw the now five bombers form up and head straight toward them. “Open fire!” He shouted, hoping that the gunners could take them down in time. Those hopes quickly crumbled as he saw the A-Wings open fire on the Gozanti to his left, and the Hammerhead took the one on his right. He looked ahead and saw all five bombers dropping theirpayloads across the hull of the cruiser. Closer and closer until an explosion burned in front of him, piercing the viewports of the bridge and enveloping them all in fire.

Sornel watched as the three ships lit up with explosions, matching the destroyed TIEs that didn’t have a chance to fight back. Their plan worked better than expected. They left it up to chance that the officer left on board would be inexperienced, otherwise things would have been bloody. As things stood now, only one A-Wing suffered minor damage. The pilot assured Sornel that they were still hyperspace capable, so that was another win. Now to move the Jurano’s Heart in to help evacuate people from the station.

Nash had been firing so much that his finger was numb. Through his gloves he could feel the heat of the blaster increase more and more. They had been holding the corridor for over twenty minutes and he hoped the other groups were holding out better. Small groups had been coming to aid the defense from various parts of the station, but these Stormtroopers were dug in deep behind various crates. It would take quite a few more troopers to keep holding their position, never mind to overwhelm the Imps. A shot grazed his shoulder and burned a hole in his sleeve. He was unharmed, luckily. The trooper behind him, however, was not. The shot that grazed Nash had hit the soldier directly in the chest, killing him instantly. Nash cursed. This couldn’t keep up. He only had a handful of other soldiers with him still able to fight. One of the Ishi Tib was dead, while the other was still holding on as best he could. The body count was rising higher and higher the longer these Imps remained alive. He turned to fire again down the hallway, and as he moved back behind cover he could swear he saw the door begin to open behind the Imperials. Nash hoped they weren’t reinforcements as he turned to peek around the corner. What he saw was a Giant of an Abednedo, Minigun in hand, with three Rebel soldiers on each side of him like wings on an angel. Gramor had made it. Nash called for the others with him to get back, as the sound of the rotary cannon began to scream above the sound of Imperial soldiers being torn to pieces. He saw a few troopers jump over the boxes to take up positions behind the crates and fire back. Nash unloaded his rifle at the four Imperials, and while being fired at from both directions the last Imperials were swiftly cut down. Nash flinched as a stray bolt from the cannon struck the wall mere inches from his eyes. When the firing finally stopped, one Navy trooper stood up from behind a box with his hands up, begging for his life. The trooper to Gramor’s left switched to stun and shot the Imperial. She slung her rifle over her shoulders and put binders on the young man without a word. “That was incredible. Thanks for the rescue.” Nash walked up to the Abednedo and the two bumped fists. “We’ve cleaned up every other Imp save for the hangar that has the Shuttle. I thought, seeing as you were having trouble, I'd better back you up and we’ll take that hangar together. There’s a squad there that was holding the line but I don’t know if they’re still there or if they’ve been taken out.” Gramor turned to lead the way as the rest of the soldiers began to file out. “We need medics here to tend to the wounded. Only four of us are unharmed.” Nash keyed his comm and summoned the medics. Now that he knew most sectors had been cleared, he could safely call for assistance without worrying about leaving another area too weak. Nash saw the young man he pulled out of the fire twenty minutes earlier and noticed he had succumbed to his wounds. He had seen soldiers die a lot, but every death today was because of him. He gave the order to fight and to die. Despite being leader of a commando squad, he’d never had this level of responsibility before. He was no stranger to the pressure of leading soldiers into battle with little hope of survival, never mind success. Still, it hurt. His dwelling was interrupted by a ping on his comm. As he followed Gramor and the other troopers to the last hangar, he heard Crevil’s voice. “Sir, it has taken a bit of fighting but we have managed to take the ship. It seems that Boaz and Myri have as well. Shall we begin the evacuation?” Nash sighed in relief. His team was successful. “Do it. We’re working on the hangar with the shuttle. Everything else should be clear. Once one of the hangars is empty, the Heart can move in and take people aboard as well. Focus on civilians and wounded first.” As the force of Rebels moved through the halls, they gradually picked up the pace as the sounds of blaster fire grew louder. They turned a corner and saw some Imperials moving through an intersection and shooting any wounded Rebel they marched past while firing further down the hall. Nash snapped. “Charge!” He shouted, as he threw his E-11 to the ground and sprinted toward the Imperials. He jumped and kicked a Stormtrooper in the face, clearing the intersection in a fraction of a second. He unholstered his pistol from his leg and began firing at any Imperial uniform he could see. The other Rebels charged in and tried to do the same, punching soldiers or hitting them with the butts of their rifles, shooting them at point-blank range, anything they could to take the pressure off of the crumbling defenders further down the corridor. Gramor turned the corner and unloaded his minigun on a stormtrooper less than a metre away from him. The trooper’s armor melted and burned onto him, his chest one giant spot of burnt gray with countless holes. Gramor turned to the troopers holding the door of the hangar and began firing as he and Nash moved in. Nash had picked up another E-11 in his other hand and was firing both guns as quickly as his fingers could pull the triggers. In the tangle, two Rebels were cut down but soon the hallway behind them was clear and the other two troopers down the hall moved in behind them. If Gramor was the fist of the squad, Nash was the brass knuckle. The two together cut down the troopers holding the door as the force of Rebels moved into the hangar, not slowing down despite the fire. It was a miracle that neither of the two were hit. After they had pushed past some crates, a couple soldiers moved behind the cover to support the two commandos. After thirty seconds of non stop firing, the hangar was clear. Nash looked at the E-11 he had picked up and saw that the barrel had begun to warp. It was only then that he realized the weapon was nearly red-hot, and dropped the gun to the floor before his hand burnt. Thank the force he was wearing gloves. His pistol had taken the firing much better though and Nash holstered it without an issue. “Check the shuttle and make sure there aren’t any surprises inside. I don’t want to take that thing back to the fleet just to find out it has a tracker or a bomb on it.” His voice was harsh. He noticed that among the dead in the hangar, three more were friendly. That made five dead during this charge that he led. At least the hangar is clear now, right? The death rate was less than a fifth of the Imperials here. It still didn’t feel right. He turned to Gramor and a couple other troopers. “Once it’s confirmed that the shuttle is safe, gather our dead and load them and any prisoners onboard.” Nash keyed his comm and broadcast to all teams on the station. “All teams, every hangar is now secure. If you haven’t already, begin evacuating civilians and wounded. Bring our dead and any prisoners you have and we will load them onto the Shuttle in Hangar Three.” He keyed to a channel to talk to Myzzel and asked his status. “We’ve cleared the Imps and begun evacuating. Are your preparations complete?” 

“We’re almost done here. Once your ships are loaded go ahead. We have our own way out.” Myzzel was impressed with Nash. The young moron was able to fight off half a battalion of Imperials from taking the station. Myzzel turned back to the holotable on the station’s bridge. He saw several camera angles of civilians heading to the hangars. Several soldiers were carrying their dead friends and a few prisoners were being marched inside of a Sentinel shuttle. After a few minutes, preparations were complete and the last few allied soldiers loaded into the Jurano’s Heart. Nash’s voice rang in his ears, saying that everyone was aboard a ship and away. “The other ships have escaped to hyperspace. We need to leave before Imperial reinforcements arrive.” Right, right. That kid really never got sick of yapping, huh? “All right, move your ship at least one kilometre away from the station. We’re getting out of here.” Myzzel nodded to the crew manning their terminals. This day was a long time coming. Even he had never seen The Markon take flight. His predecessors had built this station centuries ago, and now it was he who would lead the people away from this system and into the future. “Engage all releases and activate the engines!” His fellow Togorians were pushed from their homes decades ago, and after the Empire had risen all hope of return was dashed. They had found shelter here, and were welcomed by those who called this station home before them. For centuries this station stood as a bastion for those who had nowhere else to go. Now, they did have a home. The Rebellion. The station shook to life.

Nash and Sornel watched as dozens of sections and attachments were jettisoned from the station, then were caught in the gravity well of the planet below. Lights began appearing all over the ship and engines burned to life, brilliant against the dark of space behind it. He heard Myzzel’s voice over the comms. “On this day, the first in centuries, the galaxy shall witness The Markon take flight once more!” He heard the cheers of the bridge crew aboard the station- now ship. It was beautiful. An ancient, almost retro design, yet sleek in it’s own way. It was about the size of a heavy frigate or bulk freighter. Angular like a ship from Corellia, nothing like the ragtag and bulbous ships of the Rebel Alliance. This was a vessel designed for war. Nash snapped out of it. He gave Torill the command to jump to hyperspace, and The Markon vanished before his eyes seconds before they jumped away from the system.


End file.
